… is the one that you have on you.

At least according to photographer Chase Jarvis. And he should know. Because while only in his 30′s, he’s one of the world’s most sought-after photographers specializing in lifestyle commercial photography. And one of my favorite photographers to follow.

It’s not the type of photography he does, or the gear that has me following his online footprints like a crazed fan girl. Rather his philosophy and approach to photography. As best I can sum up, it’s a) be undeniably good and b) share your passion.

Chase exploits technology to its fullest potential. He is active on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube (save nothing to say of his blog). He solicits feedback from his fans and genuinely tries to accommodate. He recently posted a play-by-play of a shoot with Sandisk, on all those platforms, complete with videos from behind the scenes.

Much of what I embrace in my own work has been influenced by Chase. We shoot totally different subjects, on totally different scales, but when it comes to making me climb out of my (technology) shell.. no one does it like Chase.

For those actively following Chase, Strobist, Zack Arias or any number of photographers, you’ll have heard of The Best Camera. I purchased (and have been using) it for a few weeks now, but only now am I getting a chance to blog about it. If you own an iPhone, and are at least mildly interested in photography – you must check this out. I would love to post a bunch of links or videos from Chase here – but alas, I am behind the Great Firewall of China. No freedom of youtube for me.

What is so unique about this app? It’s perhaps the first app designed with the modern photographer in mind. Shoot, edit and share your photos all from one program. It’s compatible with Twitter, Facebook, and a variety of other social networking mediums. There’s also a book (of Chase’s iPhone photography) and an online community so you can see what everyone else is shooting. Really impressive stuff. The editing function is much more robust than any other app I’ve seen allowing you to stack filters and even re-order them.

With this awesome tool in my bag, I am really going to make an endeavor to capture my experiences in China this year. No excuses, as now with my iPhone, I’ll always have a camera on me. This is motivated by not only a desire to remember the details of this amazing experience, but also because you don’t realize how precious a freedom is (in my case, of expression) until it’s restricted. And that just makes you want it more

I also have a few upcoming projects I’d really like to blog about as soon as things get under way. If you don’t see an update within a few days, you have permission to send me angry emails and messages demanding to see my iPhone pictures